Camping in Sedbergh

Camping around Sedbergh means pitching in the shadow of the Howgill Fells, with the gentler valleys of Dentdale and Garsdale opening out to the south and east. As with anywhere in England, wild camping on the open fell is not a legal right and requires the landowner's permission, so campers should stick to established campsites unless they have arranged access directly. Fortunately the area has a good spread of proper sites, from simple touring and tent pitches on farms just outside town to slightly larger caravan parks with better facilities, many of them geared towards walkers heading straight up into the Howgills or cyclists using Sedbergh as a stopover on longer Dales routes.

The terrain here is quite different from the crags and screes of the Lake District a few miles west: the Howgills are smooth, grassy and rounded, cut through by becks and narrow ghylls, which makes for gentler, more forgiving walking straight from a tent door, even if the climb to The Calf still gives a proper day out. Sites in Dentdale and along the Rawthey and Lune valleys tend to be more sheltered, tucked among drystone-walled meadows, and make a good base for gentler exploring, river swimming spots, and easy access to Dent village and its railway station.

May to September is the most comfortable stretch for camping here, when the fell paths are driest and evenings are long enough for a walk up into the hills after pitching. Spring and early summer bring the best chance of settled weather before the school holidays fill sites up, while autumn can still be pleasant, if cooler and wetter underfoot, with the added benefit of colour in the dale-bottom trees. Winter camping is really only for the well-equipped, given the exposure of the surrounding fells and the unfenced, weather-affected roads over to neighbouring valleys.

For those who would rather have a roof and a proper bed, glamping options in the area include shepherd's huts, safari tents and static pods on farms around Sedbergh and out towards Dentdale, giving something closer to a hotel stay while keeping the same fellside views and quiet, dark-sky nights that draw campers to this corner of the national park in the first place.